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David Brobst was so beloved by one organization he stole from that even after the lies were
revealed and the money returned, its president had just one lament.

“We lost a good worker,” Delmer Barker said.

Barker, president of the Groveport Lions Club, said Brobst has given back the nearly $20,000 he
took during more than five years as the club’s treasurer. He also returned $75,000 to the Franklin
County Agricultural Society, a loss that was discovered during a routine audit last year.

“Everyone was blown away by it,” said society secretary Tim Shade, who once assured a state
auditor that their treasurer was “as honest as honest could be.”

Brobst, 53, has not been charged in either case. Detectives with the Franklin County sheriff’s
office are waiting for the results of an ongoing state audit before they begin their
investigation.

Barker said he’s not interested in punishing Brobst.

The agricultural society, which manages the Franklin County Fair, decided to make its case
public and pursue charges, Shade said.

Shade said he defended Brobst when the treasurer dodged meetings with the state auditor’s office
and failed to produce financial reports. Then Brobst came to his door on Dec. 12 with a confession
and a one-line resignation, Shade said.

Brobst’s answering machine said the family isn’t taking calls right now. His son, Paden, 21,
remains on the fair board, after the other members persuaded him to stay.

His lawyer, Phil Templeton, said Brobst is a “good man who kind of got himself sideways.”

Templeton said he believes that Brobst has paid back the money, but both he and the agricultural
society, which has an annual budget of $350,000, are waiting for the state audit to determine how
much money is missing.

The case won’t affect the county fair, which is set for July 13-20, Shade said.